Ruengoethe

Scheznyk

“No poet, no dancer, no potter or singer has her complete meaning alone. Her significance, her appreciation is the reverence to those who have gone the way of all flesh. You cannot value her alone; you must set her among the dead, among the story of our people. This is schezynpoi.”
-from The Meaning of the Word by Lafcadio Zpisovet

“Fae of the Winter Court”
While the Spring Court lost its structure and leadership, the Winter Court suffered a great loss to their population over the course of several wars. Though the harsh winter of their homeland has made it easy for the Scheznyk to resist permanent colonization from the humans, their numbers have dwindled steadily from constant external warfare, intermittent famine, an aristocracy regularly slain by revenge killings, and low fertility. The fae of the Winter Court are part of a proud culture with intricate customs and rituals that hearken back to their days as reindeer following nomads. Receiving guests politely, telling good stories, and seeking appropriate revenge are the three most important factors in being a good Scheznyk.

Play a Scheznyk if you want…

To be old fashioned, honorable, and vengeful.

To be part of an ancient and proud culture with intricate rituals.

To be able to excel as a bard, warlock, warlord, or psion.

Gameplay Statistics

Use the Tiefling statistics from the Player’s Handbook, but replace fire resistance with cold resistance. Languages are Vulgate and Seelie.

Physical Description: Scheznyk tend to have slender, athletic builds and stand almost as tall as humans. Their skin is a pinkish pale tone while their hair is a stark white. Their eyes are black, violet, or blue opalescent orbs without any visible iris, and their ears are long and pointed like other fae. Scheznyk are very long lived, usually dying of old age at around two centuries. Scheznyk prefer to wear deep reds and blacks, and carry arms with them as marks of social status the same way that other cultures wear jewelry. Their natural resistance to cold lets them survive the harsh winters of their homeland without relying on dense furs, though they are not entirely immune to the elements.

Playing a Scheznyk in this campaign: Most Scheznyk are deeply involved in maintaining what is called “Schezynpoi,” the spirit of their culture. They look at tradition as something that should be repeated because the act of repetition is a pathway to immortality. By preserving what their ancestors did and by passing on the practices, no Scheznyk truly dies as long as the tradition remains. You might also choose to have rejected the ritualistic ways of your people because many of them are leading to the demise of the fae of the Winter Court. Scheznyk do tend to be stubborn, very fierce, and dichotomously cold and calculating. The harsh environment and emphasis on tradition leads many Scheznyk to be masters of a particular craft that elders chose for them in their youth. Craftsman, artists, and warriors are supremely focused upon their craft, reaching a singular level of skill not often seen outside of Ejdəquru’s borders. You might be a great swordsman, but as a Scheznyk this is more than a profession, but your identity. A Scheznyk is what he or she does.